The Annoying Thing About Medical Bills

[drcpunk]

Okay. I've been to two emergency rooms this year, so I knew I was getting medical bills. Annoying, but reasonable.

I knew that there are separate charges for different things -- labwork, x-rays, doctors, whathaveyou. Annoying, but okay, I understand.

But the thing I mind most is that I have no idea of how many different bills are going to come. Why do I have to guess on this? Why can't the hospital have a single billing service coordinate and send me a single statement, either billing me for everything up front or at least saying, "These are the things for which you will be billed. These are the amounts you will owe"?

Why should it be idealistic of me to expect this?

Comments

[kyrielle]

Yeah, but I'm not sure getting all the amounts in one place is a reasonable expectation, since each separate company/biller has to first bill insurance and get not only the insurance payments, but the insurance adjustments, before they know what their final total to you will be. I doubt the first guy out the door wants to wait for the last one to get their response before they send you the bill. But honestly, it should be that when you leave the hospital (not even in the first bill), you get a list of who will be billing you. :P

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

I guess. At least then I'd know what I should be getting, yes.